Is This Wild or What? A Major Cable MSO Refuses to Run Ads From a Company Whose Product Promotes Broadcast TV

Charter Communications has refused to air advertisements from a company that wants to run on a number of cable channels, the Associated Press reports. The company, Antennas Direct, says the refusal is an example of the cable industry’s growing worries about its products, the report notes.

Antennas Direct wanted to air three 60-second spots through Charter on ESPN, the History channel and other cable networks, the story says. The ads encourage viewers to cancel their cable subscriptions and save money by investing in an antenna.

One ad shows a man chained, with a voice saying, "You’re gonna lose a ton of money when people realize they don’t have to pay you just to watch TV."

A Charter spokeswoman indicated the decision was part of the company’s normal case-by-case process, adding: "In this instance, we made a decision not to accept business advertising from this company for this particular product."

One Comment

A lot of chutzpah on the part of Antenna’s Direct. They were at least smart enough to try to run it on the worst cable service provider in the country. I am suprised that Charter turned it down considering their need for cash-flow of any type.